CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The architect of President-Elect Donald Trump's wildly successful campaign in Ohio is expected to be rewarded with a top position with the national Republican Party.

Officials with the Republican National Committee on Wednesday announced they intend to name Bob Paduchik as RNC deputy co-chair, and Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel as the the RNC co-chair.

Political observers said the move signals the RNC's plans to elevate McDaniel as a 2017 replacement to RNC Chair Reince Priebus, who has taken a job as Trump's White House chief of staff. Presumably, this would mean Paduchik would then end up in the national party's second-highest position.

An announcement Wednesday included laudatory statements from Trump, Priebus and Stephen Bannon, the former Breitbart News executive who now is serving as Trump's chief strategist. In their respective statements, the three praised Paduchik as a "key leader" and a "team player" who was "completely committed" to helping Trump to his surprisingly large nine-point victory in Ohio.

Paduchik is a longtime Ohio Republican political operative who previously ran George W. Bush's successful 2000 and 2004 campaigns, as well as Sen. Rob Portman's 2010 successful election campaign.

In an email sent through a state party spokesperson, Borges -- who in October derisively referred to Paduchik as a "staffer" in a public statement -- on Wednesday congratulated Paduchik and McDaniel for their expected appointments.

"I am happy for both Ronna and Bob," Borges said in the email. "Both of them have worked hard to earn these positions and they will have my support in January."

Chris McNulty, a former RNC political director and longtime Ohio Republican political operative, said in an interview that Paduchik is an unorthodox choice for the party's number-two role.

"I think that clearly Bob's the best campaign tactician that's ever been in the co-chair's office," McNulty said. "And so I think it's likely that he will have a significant role in leadership, and in the operations of the RNC. And it's a little bit indicative that the Trump administration in general is trying to shake things up and do things a little differently."